There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that historically we have underplayed the importance of informal learning, whether that's experiential, on-demand or social. I'm equally convinced that, with the proliferation of great social networking tools and the ever-increasing confidence that learners are displaying when it comes to managing their own learning, informal learning should rightfully play a central role in our future learning architectures. So be cautious of oldies like me if, in their enthusiasm, they over-sell the idea of informal learning. informal learning

It is well documented that the vast majority of learning in the workplace is informal. This 70:20:10 breakdown has since been supported by subsequent research , though sometimes the ratio is represented as 80:20 to reflect informal learning and formal training respectively. • 20% on informal learning. • 10% of learning occurs via formal training (eg classes).